I Will Protect You
by FunnyLover13
Summary: Tamaki is returning home to Hawley from an overseas college in Japan. However, after a few days, she is stalked by the horror that made her leave, a darkness that lurked within the town's forest. Now, she must fight against it, especially when the darkness sets its sight on her sister...A Slenderman Story (Story Four of Slenderman Mini-Series).
1. Introduction

**I Will Protect You**

**Rated T-M**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Slenderman. His rightful owner is Victor Surge. I merely own the characters and the story-line.**

**((Here's another installment of my Mini-Series~ I hope you guys like it ^^))**

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><p><strong>Introduction<strong>

_It was dark, a deary eigengrau* shade that gradually submitted to the clutches of endless blackness. The forest itself was quiet, which would've been peaceful if not for the missing sounds from its common inhabitants. Nothing echoed throughout its depths: not the hooting of an owl, not the squeaking of a mouse, and not even the chirps of a tiny cricket. _

_The entire place was completely silent._

_Nothing echoed...except for tiny footfalls, which, even then, couldn't fully break the silence._

_A little girl raced through the forest, her footsteps coming and going as she hurried to get away. The gentle forest she once loved to play in was now a place of horror, for she knew she was in danger._

_Grave danger..._

_She didn't know where she was going, nor did she know how she became trapped in the bundle of tall trees._

_All she knew was that she was being **chased**._

_Chased by a monster that appeared suddenly and disappear just as quick. Chased by a monster that had several long, spider-arms that were eager to grab her._

_Chased by a monster that **sought** out to consume her flesh and splatter her blood against the forest ground._

_Tears swell in her eyes as the sound of footsteps became loud enough for two._

_The little girl knew she was being followed..._

_Even as she turned around and saw nothing, she knew that he was growing near. The monster was **everywhere**, whispering a deep voice in her ears, taunting her horrors of being torn to pieces. He could gladly appear before her and kill her, for he could easily do so; nonetheless, the little girl had realized, the monster liked to **play** with its food. A sick, terrifying game of cat and mouse, where, in this case, the cat could use the forest to its advantage._

_He could twist it around, making her go in circles, keeping her trapped, until he was tired of playing._

_The little girl ran faster, her heart beating quickly and panicky. She took refuge in a hallowed tree, scooting deeper into its darkness, and sunk her head into her lap, shaking terribly. Her breathe was shallow and meek, but she tried to keep it controlled, for she knew he could hear well._

_Suddenly, there was a familiar rustling of bushes and the thumping footsteps crunching against the ground._

_The little girl knew **HE** was getting closer..._

_Her breathing stopped briefly as the thumping grew louder, and the forest ground seem to crunch around her. She sunk deeper into the hole, shaking in fear when the thumping began to stop slowly. It was not a sign of disappearing trouble, she knew. Those heavy footsteps, which grew closer and grew slower, came to a halt right behind the tree._

_Her heart was racing uncontrollably, and the little girl covered her mouth to stop a strangled whimper from slipping._

_She braced herself when the tree shook a bit._

_Peeking out from the darkness of the hole only slightly, her big eyes widen when a large, pale hand rubbed along the rough bark._

_It patted the tree roughly with several hands, trying to find something..._

_...Trying to find her..._

_As it twisted around, bones poking through thin, stretchy skin, the hand slowly crept into her hiding spot; with sheer panic, the little girl gently and quietly scooted farther into the hole, those fingers inches away from her frail skin. As it grew near with slothful tension, her heart felt ready to burst, and her body shook violently. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to commence when the tree gave a loud creak. Yet, opening one eye, she bit her cheek and flinched as the hand grabbed at open air in front of her face. It stayed there, floating and glowing the the mist of darkness. The little girl felt her cheek bleed a bit, but she didn't dare move._

_The hand pulled back slowly and frustratingly, fading footsteps disappearing into the darkness of the forest until there was utter silence._

_"..."_

_The little girl, still cautious of danger, moved gradually and peeked out, seeing nothing in front of her or around her. Relief filled her entirely, encouraging her to climb out and hurry home._

_**"cHiLd..." **_

_The girl never had the chance to scream as the palm slammed into her face, gripping her head, and pulled her up-_

Brown eyes flew open, panic flashing through them, and a young woman sat up in her bed. She pressed her hand to her heart, trying to calm her breathing. After feeling a bit relaxed, she left a calmer silence settled and thoughts of terror soon disappeared as quickly as they came. The young woman looked to her roommate April, who laid in her own bed undisturbed and peaceful. Tiredly, she then looks to her alarm clock, groaning agitatedly when she saw that it was 2:30 in the morning.

"Great..." She mumbled lowly, laying back down to try and sleep again.

"I had that same dream again..."

She laid there staring at her alarm, unable to fall into a peaceful slumber. She knew she had to though if she wanted to catch her flight in the morning. But, in the back of her mind, terror lingered, hoping to reminisce thoughts of childhood nightmares. This feeling, a clammy chill that infected her thinking, made the woman frustrated; she tossed ans turned in her bed silently, hoping not to awake her roommate.

_'Your becoming delusional, Tamaki'_ She thought bitterly to herself, closing her eyes in an attempt for sleep. _'It's just a dream...' _

As she relaxed in a soft slumber, Tamaki's eye began to throb an irritable heat, like an old injury.

But that was never to be.

It was just a reminder of **HIM**...

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><p><strong>End of Introduction<strong>

***Eigengrau = Dark Purplish/Gray (Generally seen in Darkness)**


	2. The Rising Troubles

**Chapter 1**

It was mid-spring in Japan, and the weather was getting a bit warmer the past days. The sun was just beginning to rise in the distance, creating a beautiful twilight in the early morning for a row of tiny apartments. A few birds chirped here and there, and the warm spring air flowed through an open window. It brought a calming peace to the short redhead cooking in the kitchen of one particular, tiny apartment. As she hummed lightly, cooking breakfast for herself and her roommate, the television blared in the background, broadcasting an important news bulletin.

_"In other news, tragedy has struck in America these past months. As of yet, over a dozen, horrifying deaths have occurred in the small, American town of Hawl-"_

"Why do you always have this thing blasting so loud in the morning, April?"

April looked through messy red hair, grinning sheepishly as Tamaki gave her a tired look. She blew a wavy curl from her face, winking to her mischievously.

"What can I say~? I like to hear my daily news~"

The dark brunette rolled her eyes, turning the volume down and opening the blinds to let the sun light in a bit.

"More like daily tabloids." She snorted, going back to brushing her long hair over her right brown eye. "What's for breakfast this morning?"

"Nothing special. Just eggs and bacon."

Turning the stove off, April continued to hum, sliding their food on two plates and spinning around to her roommate.

She walked over and sat their plates down on the table for two. Turning her chair backwards like always and sitting down, April happily began to eat, kicking her legs casually. The other girl joined her at the table, taking her seat while fixing her blouse. She brushed the rest of her hair back, taking her fork to eat her share, when she caught her ebony friend's eyes.

"...Are those _purple_ contacts?

"...Maybe..." One easily pops free, falling to the ground. "...Yeah..."

Tamaki sighed playfully as her friend reached down for it. "You and your fashion statements. First the red dye, and _now_ purple contacts?"

"I love being colorful~ It's the scene nowadays~" April sat back up, looking at her friend. "Speaking of which: how is that right eye of yours?"

"Eh...it was throbbing all last night, but it hasn't bothered me this morning..."

That wasn't _entirely_ true.

Tamaki's eye had been throbbing on and off even throughout that morning. It wasn't exactly painful, which she was thankful for; still, the feeling grew agitating from time to time, making it hard for her to study occasionally. At the moment, the throbbing had settled to a dull feeling, as if something was weighting over her eye, but she ignored it.

"I'll be fine, April..." Tamaki insisted, cutting into her eggs. "So, are you still able to take me to the airport?"

"Of course, kiddo. I don't really have anything to do today." April smiled, waving her fork around. "So what's the special occasion, going to America?"

Tamaki shrugged, smiling a bit dreamily.

"I just decided to surprise mother with a visit." She replied. "It's been ages since I've seen her and Chouko, and since we're on break, I figured why not, y'know?"

"I get ya." April grinned, finishing her plate and stretching back.

The redhead got up and, taking Tamaki's finished plate, she began to clean the dishes. Meanwhile, Tamaki rechecked her suitcase, making sure everything was in order.

So far, nothing seem to go wrong, minus her throbbing eye, but that was almost normal.

_'I'll just get something for it when I arrive to America...'_

The television still played in the background, giving that special news bulletin with news-anchor woman wearing a solemn expression.

_"The most recent attack has been on an small orphanage just on the edge of the town. It was just last Monday that the bodies were discovered by authorities." _

The brunette girl paused only briefly to hear certain bits and parts; she glanced up to see another reporter speaking to authorities while a few locals lingered here and there. It was like a scene straight out of Law & Order, with the police tape sectioning off a large building, the squad cars parked along the sides as well as ambulances. A police officer spoke to one reporter, looking thoroughly exhausted and drained of color to his face.

_"The...the casualties were a total of seventy people, all strung up like cattle..."_

As he went into details of the discovery, Tamaki's eyes lingered to the pairs of paramedics, who slowly carried each body out of the orphanage, one by one by one...

All **seventy** of them...

The bodies were hidden under black coverings, yet her imagination filled in the gore...

_'...Strung up like cattle...'_

The girl mentally cringed as the woman reporter continued.

_"The only survivors were two young nuns, 25-year old Anna Lincoln and 28-year old Helen Gordon. The latter was found with her eyes gouged out, no doubt an attempted murder from the madman; moreover, Ms. Gordon suffered mental instability after she and her friend were rescued from police."_

"That is why I don't live in small towns!" April called from the kitchen. "Bad things like that happen!"

"Don't be so boorish, April" Tamaki replied lightly as she glanced a second time.

The broadcast turned to a press conference, along with several detectives, reporters, and terrified locals. One detective in particular stood before the public, appearing just as drained and almost hopeless like the officer.

_"What we're dealing with is a madman...but, with great police effort and a strong staff, we're sure to catch this monster and bring him into custody..."_

As the anchor-woman went on into further details, Tamaki looked away without a second glance, and the news story all but disappeared from her mind, if not lingered for a bit. Zipping up her suitcase and pulling up the handle, she set it by the door while gathering her boots.

April fixed her shirt a bit before catching the car keys her friend tossed her way. Running a comb through her hair, she glanced at her watch.

"If we leave now, we can catch the first flight there." April unlocked the door, throwing her jean jacket on. "We got half an hour at most, if we hurry."

"Alright then."

Tamaki grabbed a light jacket and rolled her suitcase out the apartment, her friend close behind after she locked the door.

The tiny apartment was silent and calm, save for the small blaring of the forgotten television as the news story came to a close.

_"The work of a new serial killer is on the rise, for each killing has bared a dark marking, one of bloodshed and tragedy. This marking, being only a circle and an X, has become known as the symbol for the alleged Hawley-Murderer. However, folks around the small town, especially the teenagers, have taken to calling him_

_The "Slenderman"..."_

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><p><strong>End of Chapter 1<strong>

**((In this Slender story, there will be Japanese names in the mix. However, just like with Momoko, I will not use any Honorifics. **  
><strong>No "Onee-chan" or "Onii-chan".<strong>  
><strong>No "-senpai" or "-kohai".<strong>  
><strong>And no "-san", "-chan, or "-sama". <strong>  
><strong>The only thing I might do at BEST, if at all, is "Okaa-san" which means mother, but that would only be between Tamaki, Chouko, and their mother. "Oto-san", which means father, MIGHT be used in the flashbacks between Tamaki and her father, but I wouldn't count on it. That is all, everyone ^^.))<strong>


	3. Remembering the Dread

**((Holy Snackages...it's been forever and a day since I've posted anything for you guys, and I am sorry. I'm just so anxious because we're having the ACT next Tuesday, so I'm pretty nervous. Not to worry, though! I haven't forgotten you guys!))**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_Tamaki was a child again._

_She was in her backyard during the summertime, when her mother tended to her blossoms and when she would play "Pirates" with her childhood friends. It was beautiful that particular July afternoon, and Tamaki had trended deep into the woods, one of her favorite play grounds._

_Jumping over a log with glee, she chased after a small bunny, tall trees towering over her like giants. She giggled and cooed and smiled, having a grand, old time. Eventually, Tamaki captured her furry friend, who rested happily in her lap and gently nibbled her finger as she pet it._

_The air felt so calm and sweet while the sun shone with warm rays, feeling good along her skin. The little girl was at peace, feeling naively safe, so she closed her eyes to truly embrace the mellowness._

**_"...cHiLd..."_**

_Tamaki's eyes opened sleepily, and she came face to face with a tall being._

_He stood in the shining rays of the sun, so his face was concealed momentarily. Blinking her big eyes slowly and rubbing them, Tamaki noticed that he wore a dark suit and tie, looking almost like her father. _

_Had he come home from work early?_

_"Oto-san...?" She called out with a yawn and expected to hear his usual gruff but cheerful voice._

_But she received no answer._

_Silently, the tall man stepped closer, crunching along the wooden floor; Tamaki watched as he disappeared into the shade, and suddenly, she felt uncomfortable._

**_This was not her father..._**

_He was taller than him actually, standing with at least 9 feet on his shoulders, maybe more. His wide, large hands were a sickly pale, as if he hand no complexion at all, and his fingers stretched out like claws of a monster. _

_Tamaki slowly stood up, backing closer to the oak tree behind her as she took him in. _

_Looking up slowly, feeling her tiny hands shake, she realized that he was more than 9 feet._

_The man, if he was even one, had a height that kept going on and on and on, just like one of the tall trees. He stopped just short of a smaller oak tree, which was still pretty tall, yet she couldn't see his face. The shade was so dark in this part, it concealed the rest of his features to her, his red tie being the only thing that glowed from within._

_It made her feel scared, if not nervous, that a "faceless" man stood before her...**watching**..._

_The tiny bunny in her arms gave one look to the other, only to jump away hurriedly and retreat into the bushes, fear lacing into its being. She backed away again, keeping her wide, nervous eyes on his figure._

_Titling his head slowly, the giant reached out his hand to her, long, bony fingers uncurling creepily towards the little brunette. They twisted in an unsightly matter until his palm held out to her like a father would..._

_Like her father would..._

**_"ChIlD..." _**

_His voice, Tamaki noticed, was deep and crackling like fire. The repeated word, which held impatience and commandment, sent dark chills up her tiny spine._

**_"cOmE..."_**

_However, as quickly as it came, the chill cease to exist, making the child feel a soft numbness that buzzed in her ears. The fear disappeared as she now stared with dazed eyes, her body slowly relaxing under a hypnotic spell; then, she reached out casually, her warm hand touching his icy-cold one. _

_In an instant, his fingers enclosed around hers tightly, and he yanked her away from the tree-_

Tamaki awoke on the plane suddenly but quietly, looking around with slow movements. All around her, the sounds of the other passengers buzzed in her ear, like she had water stuck in them; in fact, the only thing she could hear was the heavy pulsing of her heart.

_'...Another dream...'_ She sighed lightly, sitting up slowly to rub her head.

"I see you're awake now, Miss."

The young woman looked across from her, seeing an elderly woman smiling friendly with her hands in her lap.

"You've been asleep almost the entire trip. We'll be coming to Hawley in an hour or so."

"Oh.." Tamaki smiled, relaxing a bit in her seat. "T-thank you ma'am..."

The brunette looked around sleepily, her mind still a bit foggy; then, she looked to the closed window.

"Do you mind if I lift the shade?" Tamaki asked the woman softly.

"Oh, by all means, go ahead dear."

Smiling tiredly, the young brunette raised the window shade up, peering out into the blue sky around them.

Sighing softly, she rested her arm against the window ledge, watching the fluffy clouds roll by with blank, tired eyes..

She had another one of those dreams again...

_'...More like a memory...'_ She drawled in her mind, seeing a few birds hover by.

As crazy as it seemed, it was all true... her dreams never were really dreams...

They were memories...

Memories she thought were forgotten long ago when she left Hawley all those years ago.

Even though they were still muggy, little bits and pieces that struggled to linger on, Tamaki could distinctively remember those 8 years of hell...

She could remember being hot those nights, buried under countless of covers because she was too frightened to sleep a top them...

She could remember her mother always scolded her about the lights because she kept them on all night...

But most of all...

She could remember **HIM**...

Going back to that hot, sleepy, summer from her childhood, she could remember seeing him for the first time, and being truly afraid for the first time.

The monsters under the bed and in the closet had nothing on him...

Tamaki would never know why...but just the thought of him would send chills down her spine as a child. Even now, as she spaced out the window and reminisced, her heart raced with anxiety.

...And her eye throbbed with a dark, painful feeling...

Those 8 years of hell were the very reason she left Hawley. When she turned 14, her mother gave her the choice to move to Japan and live with her aunt. Of course, she had said "yes" without hesitation, and she spent the rest of her schooling there ever since...

_'I need to stop thinking about this...'_

Pulling away from the window, eyes sagging with weariness, the brunette sighed and sunk her head into her hands. This was not the time to begin worrying over nothing. The past should be left buried in the past, and she shouldn't be stuck on something so...

So...

...She didn't even know _what_ to think about it all...

_'There's nothing **to** think.'_ She decided, looking out the window one more time. _'I'm older now...there's no way he should recognize me...'_

The pain in her eye said differently, retorting with sharpness and a warning for her safety.

But Tamaki ignored it, like she did for the last 5 years, and reached over to pull the window down.

_'...There's nothing to fear...'_

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><p><strong>End of Chapter 2<strong>


End file.
